Assessment of Manure Management Practices and Nitrogen Levels on Soil Phosphorus in an Alfisol

Abstract: Field studies were conducted in an Alfisol in two different locations at Samaru-Zaria, Nigeria. The objectives were to determine the effects of cow dung management practices, time of application and urea fertilizer on the soil phosphorus content at direct and residual effects in two locations. The treatments consisted of 3 management practices, 4 durations of field storage and 2 levels of urea arranged in a 3x4x2 factorial experiment fitted to a randomized complete block design with 3 replicates. The soil texture of the two locations were different, this contributed to the differences in the available P of the soils of the two locations. The application of the cow dung irrespective of how it was managed resulted in significant (P < 0.05) increase of available P in the soil more than the control. The combination of the management practices (handling methods, time of application and urea levels) significantly (P < 0.05) affected the available P of the soil, but none of the treatments showed any consistency at the two locations and at direct or residual effects. The direct effects tend to have high available P values than the residual effects at both 4 Weeks after planting and at harvest in the two locations.